Pushing
by MydnytAngel
Summary: Booth takes Bones home after he read her Zack's acceptence letter. I think it will be rated M :
1. Chapter 1

Booth watched as Bones left the group, sad that she hadn't given Zack anything, or so she thought. These past few days had been very rough on her and she couldn't take much more. Booth knew that. He said Angela's name softly, wanting to go after Bones himself. They needed to talk. With an envelope in hand, he followed the sad scientist and found her on the steps, her head buried in her hands. After sitting next to her, and reading Zack's acceptance letter, Bones leaned against him, allowing him to embrace her. He felt her tears soaking into his neck and suit jacket, as he pulled her tightly against him. He almost kind of knew that some of this was his fault. Things between them were so different now. She didn't trust him. And there was no denying that.

"Come on Bones," he said, helping her to her feet. "Let me take you home." Just as he suspected, she argued with him.

Bones sniffled and shrugged off his arm. "I'm fine," she said, wiping the last few tears away and heading down the stairs.

"Bones," Booth said, rushing after her. "Please let me take you home." She needed to get some sleep and get out of the lab.

Her angry eyes whirled on him. "What makes you think that I want you to do that Booth?" She asked. "You lied to me. Do you have any idea how devastated I was?"

"No enough to come to my funeral," he mumbled. But he knew that wouldn't help any.

"Maybe I didn't come to your funeral because I didn't want you say goodbye to you," she flared. "But what you hadn't bothered to figure out is how badly I missed you and how crushed I was, knowing that you died and took a bullet for me. I cried for days, wishing that I could have done something."

Booth stared at her as she walked away before realizing what she had said. He rushed after her, gently grabbing her arm then blocking another swing. His jaw was still tender from her first whack. "Bones," he said, softly, her wrists tight in his grasp. "I would have given anything to change what happened." He pressed soft kisses to her knuckles. "I thought you knew. If I had known that you were going through this I would have called you and pulled out of the investigation." She had to know that. She couldn't possibly think that he would intentionally hurt her.

Her fingers released from the fists she had made and she slowly, cautiously, touched his face. "You died," she whispered.

"Oh Bones," he said, his arms sliding around her waist. "I'm so sorry. It was the longest, most brutal two weeks of my life. I hated being away from you."

"I just don't understand," she said, looking up at him. "You've broken the rules before. Why couldn't you do it this time?"

"Temperance," he said, specifically using her name. "I thought you knew. I wasn't able to have contact with anyone. No one told me that you didn't know. If I had know you have to know that I would have come right back."

Her body relaxed somewhat and he pulled her closer. Her small hand tangled in his hair as she snuggled up against him. "I missed you so much Booth," she said. "I thought you were gone forever."

Booths arms closed over her frame and he kissed her temple. "Let's get you home," he said, holding her against him as he led her toward the elevator. One of her arms came around his waist as her head rested on his shoulder. However, neither noticed Angle watching them with a smile.

****

Booth drove to her place, her hand tightly clutched in his. The ride was silent, but that was okay. They had a long night. A long week. No words were necessary. After pulling into the driveway, he helped her out of the car, before taking her up the couple floors to her apartment. Bones unlocked her door and once they were inside, she locked it again.

"You should take a shower," Booth suggested. "I'll make you something light to eat before you go to bed." He watched as she nodded numbly as if on autopilot before she headed toward the bathroom. Not long after, Booth heard the shower turn on. Shedding his jacket, tie and unbuttoning his dress shirt, he put bread in the toaster. She would not be very hungry but she needed food in her stomach. The shower turned off after about seven minutes but Bones didn't come out. "Bones?" He asked, heading toward her room. He knocked lightly and went in when he got no answer. Bones was staring at a picture of them, the whole team. She couldn't deal with this. Booth sat on her bed and watched her as she stared at the picture. She was dressed in a black bathrobe, and he tried not to stare at her smooth bare legs. "Bones?" She was acting so strange, but he couldn't blame her, but he couldn't help but be worried.

Slowly she turned to look at him. "Booth," she said, as if surprised that he was still there.

He got to his feet, using every amount of will power not to give in to his urges to kiss her. "You alright?" He asked, softly.

Temperance shook her head. "How could this happen?" She whispered.

Automatically Booth reached for her. "I don't know," he said, moving he wet hair out of her face. "I wish I could do something for you." Her eyes, that used to be so full of life, were sad and empty.

Bones inched closer to him and before he knew it, her lips were on his. Gently at first, almost timid, until he pulled back. "Not like this, Temperence," he said, pulling her close to him when she tired to pull away. "Temperence."

"Just forget it," she whispered. "I'm tired."

Booth nodded. "I know you are," he said. "But I'm not going to forget it. I just want you to be sure you want this. Not just an escape from the pain." He held her tightly against him, not wanting to let her go and feel bad.

Bones nodded against him. "I'm sorry," she whispered against his neck. "It wasn't right."

He lifted his head from her neck to look her in the eye. "Don't say that," he said. "Just get some sleep."

"What about you?"

"I'll be on the couch," he said, firmly. "You won't be alone." He kissed her forehead. "Good night Bones." He heard her whisper good night back to him before he left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

The smell of bacon, eggs and coffee assaulted her senses as Bones drifted awake. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up and stretching. Then she remembered that Booth had spent the night. After climbing out of bed she pulled on some sweats and headed toward the kitchen. "Morning," she greeted softly taking in his spiky hair and sleep ruffled clothes.

"Hey Bones," he said cheerfully. "Hungry?" He took in her appearance and noticed her dark expression. Her eyes were tired and sad, making him worry. He had never seen her like this. He was so used to seeing her so composed and full of life, but this? She was closing in on herself. Off from him. He knew he messed up with not telling her what had happened, and he didn't know what to do to make her forgive him.

She shrugged her shoulders and sat at the counter. "I suppose."

Booth put a cup of coffee in front of her before turning off the stove. He fixed them both a plate and sat next to her. "How'd you sleep?" She didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, but he couldn't let her keep doing this to herself. He wanted his Bones back. He wanted to make things up to her, help her through this. But he couldn't if she wouldn't let him. And he wasn't about to let her go without a fight.

"Could have been better," she said, as she started to eat. "We have work to today."

"Nope," he said, shoveling eggs into his mouth. "We're taking the day off. I already called." She needed to be away from the lab, have some time to herself. Time to talk to him about things. However, he knew she would fight him tooth and nail on that one. Work was her life, and he was asking her to let that go for one day. As far as he knew, she never had a day off in her life.

Bones glared at him. "Since when do you decide if I go to work?" She asked.

Booth froze. Just like he thought, she was pissed. He would have to take this slowly and try to explain to her why he thought it was a good idea for her to take a day off. "We need a day off Bones," he said, turning to face her. "Just one."

Temperance put her fork down and moved away from him. "Booth, I'm fully capable of going to work."

The last of his patience snapped. "What is your problem Bones?" He asked, angrily going toward her. Two could play this game, and he knew he would win. He could feel his blood boiling as she pushed his buttons. "You were a wreck last night. Everyone understands that you need a day off."

"I don't!" She said furiously.

Booth approached her slowly, trapping her against the wall of her living room. "You're pushing my last button, Bones," he growled. Could she not see what was right in front of her face? Was she that blind? "You tease me last night with that kiss, then turn around and want to bite my head off because I want to help you." The thought of that kiss was burned in his brain. He knew she was too upset to think straight last night, and he had wanted nothing more then to protect her from the world. But he didn't want to be an escape from her pain. He wanted to help her through it. He wanted them to do this together.

She tried to push pats him but he trapped her in the circle of his arms. "Let me go, Booth," she seethed.

"No Bones," he said, calmly. "I won't. You're not going to jerk me around anymore. Let's sort this out once and for all." No more games, no more secrets. He was tired of her riddles, and her logic. He wanted to see the woman, not the scientist. They needed to be on raw emotion. No tests, or evidence, or anything else. Just what they felt with each other, and pure trust, which she seemed to be lacking with him, and he needed to get it back.

Bones could do little but stand rigidly in his arms. "I'm not jerking you around," she said, staring off to the right.

"Yeah Bones, you are," he said, shaking his head. He was so wrong about her. She really didn't see what was staring her right in the face. He was going to have to spell it out for her because she wasn't taking the hint anymore. "You kissed me last night. I know you were upset about Zack, but you don't just kiss someone. So what's going on?"

"Nothing," she said, trying to remove his arms from around her. "Now let me go."

"No," Booth repeated, lowering his lips to her neck. He nibbled on the soft skin softly, and smiled to himself when she released a cry. Even as she closed herself off from him, he could see the flicker in her eyes. He picked up on a few things that she was trying desperately to keep hidden. Her fear, her sorrow, things she didn't want to burden anyone else with. Things that he could handle, but she wasn't sure how to allow him inside of her. Inside her head, inside her heart.

"Stop," she whispered, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders.

Booths hands relaxed slightly, as they caressed her back. His lips became firmer as he pulled her against him. "You know you don't want me to stop." She could very easily push him away, but her hands were gentle, almost caressing him, almost. He wasn't going to force her into anything with him, but he wasn't going to allow her to run from him because she was scared.

"We can't do this," she whispered, even as every bone strained toward him.

"Why?" He asked, backing her against the wall once more, shoving a thigh between her legs and hoisting her up. Her soft curves brushed against him teasingly, and it took once again every ounce of will power not to strip them naked and take her now. "Who says we can't?" He watched as she had a war with herself and he made the choice for her as he smashed his lips against hers. No more games.


	3. Chapter 3

Bones cried out inot his mouth and her hands grabbed at him. Fingers tugged at his hair as she returned his kiss with equal passion and he lifted her into his arms. He headed toward her room, almost dropping her as she rubbed against him. "Bones," he gasped, pulling back from her lips. Her soft lips fastened to his neck and he groaned. He kicked the door shut behind him before carefully laying her on the bed. He had to slow down or this was going to be over all too soon. Already they were going faster then he would have liked, but it felt too damn good. "Easy Temperence," he whispered, moving next to her, to try to regain some self control.

She mewled in protest and reached for him. "Booth."

That sound ripped through him like a rocket and he felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. He was thankful that he moved off of her willing body, because she could make him explode with her noises and the movements of her hips. "I'm right here," he said, he hand coming up to cup her cheek. "No reason to rush." He could see her start to think too much about it and he leaned forward to kiss her gently. He didn't want the scientist right now, he wanted the woman. He wanted to see into her heart have her trust again, and he felt like he had it. This time the kiss was gently and soft, the two of them just tasting each other's lips.

Her hands came up to touch his face and she pulled away slightly. "Booth," she whispered. "What are we doing?"

"At the moment, I'm kissing you," he said, his breathing slightly labored. "But after tonight? I don't know Temperance. Can't we just have tonight?" He didn't want to ruin tonight. He wanted to be with her, but he could already see that slipping away. However, the last thing he wanted was to rush her or push her into anything that she may not be ready for. He felt like they had been dancing around this for years and now it was all rushing to the surface. And for someone like Temperence, that was rough.

Bones shook her head. "No, Booth," she said. "I need you to be honest. You know how I am with these kinds of things. I don't just want tonight. There's too much between us already."

Booth cradled her face with a small smile. Good thing she was smart. Her previous choice in men had left a lot to be desired, but this was different. They had a connection that went beyond physical attraction. "I want you to be happy," he said, running his thumb over her cheek. "And I'd like to be the one to do that for you." He couldn't imagine her with anyone else. He'd lose his mind. And the first person to hurt her would be on his shit list.

"But what about work?" She whispered. "Won't they separate us?"

He could see the fear swirling in her beautiful eyes and in truth, he'd thought about that for quite some time. But he knew how good they were together and he was sure that everyone above him knew that too. And it wasn't like they were going to be sneaking off like Angela and Hodgens to have sex in the basement. At least he hoped not. "I don't think so," he said softly. "We're very professional Bones and what goes on outside of work is our business." He could still the see the question in her eyes as she drew patterns on his chest. "As long as our work isn't affected." He kissed her temple and felt her muscles start to relax against him. Now was a good time a little bit of a talk. "Temperence," he said, and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't trying to hurt you or scare you. I just felt like I was losing you and I panicked. I was just running on raw emotion." He knew how much she liked being in control and he would give her that when needed, however, he was sure that him pushing her up against the wall and practically devouring her, wasn't the best plan of attack and he was feeling a little guilty.

"I have to admit that you did throw me off," she said, honestly. "I'm used to both of us being in control and when our… biological urges get the better of us, we become two different people."

Booth shook his head. "No Bones, not two different people and its more then urges." It was so much more then that. He felt it, and he knew she felt it; otherwise she wouldn't be so hesitant. She wanted this as much as he did, but like the anthropologist that she was, she was looking at this from every angle. That's what he loved about her. For most people, it was easy just to have sex with someone, but he knew that they weren't most people. He lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "I can be in control when I have to be. But if you can handle me on raw emotion, I'm going to give it to you. Just like I can handle it from you."

She sat up and he could see the struggle she was having with herself. "Booth, I'm just not sure," she whispered.

He sat up as well before climbing out of bed to give her some space so she could breathe and think properly. "I know you're not," he said, crossing his arms. "But I want you to be sure. I want you to be happy but I'm not going to force you to be with me." As much as it would kill him to be strictly her partner, he would do it if that's what she needed. He wasn't going to be like all the other men in her life. He'd always be here, wherever she needed him and he would be whatever she'd want him to be.

Temperence chewed her lip and met his eyes. "Can we just… take this slow?" She asked. "I just… I don't want to be hurt."

He took a step toward her, aching to comfort her in anyway he could. "Bones, I wouldn't hurt you," he said. "Not on purpose." He couldn't stand to see her hurt by anyone, even himself. Especially himself. He knew how much she trusted him and to think that she would ever doubt him, cut him to the core.

"You lied to me Booth," she said. And now the truth of the matter came to the surface. This was about his "death" which she obviously hadn't compartmentalized like she led everyone else to believe, but he felt a little relieved that she was able to start sharing this with him. He needed to know what she felt. To know that she cared and that she needed him in her life. "How could… how could I be sure that wont do that again? Every time you take a bullet for me or something I have to wonder."

He sighed and sat next to her, but he didn't touch her, even when his arms itched to reach out and hold her. "I told you Bones," he said, softly. "I would have pulled out of the investigation had I known that Sweets didn't tell you. No case is worth hurting you. And hopefully I won't be taking anymore bullets." In truth, that hurt like a bitch. And if he could help it, he wouldn't be getting shot again. But her life was in danger. It was second nature for him to protect her, to keep her safe. It wasn't something he thought about.

"But that's your job," she said. "To catch the bad guys. That's why I'm not sure. Our job is dangerous."

He remembered her once saying that she liked that he caught the bad guys, and he liked having her along with him to do that. He couldn't imagine taking someone else into the field with him, and interrogating suspects. It was just their thing and no one would be able to take her place in that. "Temperence, you're my best friend," he said. "You have been for a long time. And I'll admit that I want more then that but I won't hurt you. I just want you to be happy." He sounded like a broken record, but she was scared and needed all the reassurance he could give her. He slid off the bed and got to his feet before rubbing his face. "Think about it for awhile. Then decide. You know how to find me." And with that, he left.


	4. Chapter 4

Temperence tapped a pen on her desk as she stared into space. She had taken the day off like Booth said the day before, but she spent most of the day thinking about him. She couldn't believe the turn of the events that had taken place. Booth had scared the daylights out of her. The amount of passion he felt for her, scared her. She had never known anyone to feel that strongly about her. Not only that, he had given her space. A little too much space. She was aching to be near him.

"Brennan," Angela said, as she sat in one of the chairs.

"Hi Angela," she said. "What's up?" She didn't even know Angela was standing there. Her best friend had her ways of sneaking up on people and right now, Brennan was pretty sure she needed some advice.

"I've been watching for about ten minutes," Angel said. "What are you thinking about?"

"Booth," Bones answered, softly. Like she could lie to her best friend. "Things got intense between us last night and he's giving me time to think." Intense was not exactly the right word. Bones couldn't describe what she felt when Booth kissed her. Or when he scooped her up into his arms and took her to her room. No one had ever been able to sweep her feet literally or figuratively. Last night was more about connecting rather then sex.

"Think about what?" Angela asked. "What happened?"

"We kissed," Bones said. "And the passion was enough to burn down the house." Even more then that, it burned her. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She missed him when he wasn't around, more so then she used to. And now that he had erased that line, it made things all the more complicated. But she didn't know what to do. She was horrible at relationships.

Angela squealed like a school girl. "That's great honey," she said. "It's about time."

"You don't understand Ang," Temperence said. "That's all it was. He rocked my world off its axis and it scared me." And that was no joke. The knots in her stomach doubled, and she thought any minute she was going to get a call or something. Someone telling her that her partnership with Booth was over. She didn't want to lose him, but she wasn't clingy either. She had her own mind, and so did Booth. But could they co exist?

Angela moved around the desk to grab Brennan's hand. "That's naturally sweetie," she said, encouragingly. "There's a lot between you guys. Too much to just throw away."

"Yeah," Temperence agreed. "He's giving me too much time to think." She felt like she was over processing the information. The more reasons she came up to be with Booth, she came up with double that many to not be with him. She wanted to talk to him about it, but she didn't know how much space she was supposed to be taking?

"And?"

"I don't know Angela," Bones said. "It feels right. But we have dangerous jobs. We could be hurt." She shook her head. "It already hurts when he's not around." They put their lives in danger every time they went into the field. They both did. And Booth was always putting himself in danger to be save her. How many times was he going to take a bullet for her? Or worse? Could she risk that?

"Then I think you've thought about this enough," Angela said, standing. "You know I want you to be happy. You know Booth wants that too."

"Yeah," Temperence said, nodding. "I know." Boy did she know that. Booth thought space was what she needed right now but he was oh so very wrong and it was time he knew that. She barely noticed when Angela left as her mind swirled with thoughts. No what? Temperence had no idea. But the nervousness clenching her insides were the only thing that kept her from running to Booth's office. What if he changed his mind? What if he thought last night was a mistake? What if he was tired of waiting?

"Hey Bones," Came a timid voice from her doorway.

"Booth," she said in surprise, as she quickly made her way over to him. She wanted to reach out and hold him but she refrained. She hadn't expected to see him this soon, but she couldn't say she wasn't delighted. But she was also nervous. His expression didn't give her much, but she was bad at figuring it out anyway. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Was just thinking." Maybe she shouldn't have said that. He hadn't asked her if she was finished thinking about the two of them together. He was barely looking at her and she could feel her heart start to crack. She couldn't have anymore heart ache. Not from Booth.

"Good thoughts?" He asked, going into her office.

Bones noticed how he didn't move to touch her but she didn't know what that meant and she was afraid to ask. "Mostly," she responded. She could feel herself start to close off from him. It had taken so long for him to earn her trust and break through the barriers she had built but in a fraction of that time, they were coming back up. She was trying to harden herself against the painful blow that would come from Booth changing his mind, but nothing would soften it.

"I know you wanted some space but I'm used to seeing you every day," he said softly staring at the floor.

Brennan opened her mouth to say something when Cam knocked on the door frame. Not now. Couldn't anyone see that this was important? "Dr. Brennan?" She asked. "Can I speak to you?"

"Of course," Bones answered, quickly deciding she needed some work to do to keep her mind off of Booth. He didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to her about anything important. "I'll be there in a minute." After Came left she met Booth's eyes. "Can you come over at 7?" It was now or never. If she didn't make the move she didn't think Booth would, and she couldn't let it slip through her fingers like sand.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I'll be there." But before she left, he gently grabbed her hand. "Bones," he said, softly. "I haven't changed my mind."

Bones squeezed his hand in appreciation, enjoying the warmth that spread up her arm. It felt so good to touch him. "Thanks," she said, before going to find Cam. She was amazed that he knew exactly what she needed and gave it to her without question. She wanted to give that to him, but she had no idea how she would do that. She read bones, not people.


	5. Chapter 5

Bones was very nervous as she set her table for her and Booth. It was almost seven and things were pretty much ready. She tried to soothe the knots in her stomach, but the butterflies just kept multiplying. She felt silly, since she was only making soup and grilled cheese, but Booth wasn't a fancy guy. She smoothed her black dress that was bare in the back and tight around her form in the front. The tbale was set with bowls and plates, and some candles to set the mood. She didn't know what to expect, but she was almost ready for anything.

There was a knock on the door and she jumped slightly before turning off the stove. This was it. She could so do this, it was just Booth. However, she'd been telling herself that all day and the butterflies just kept getting bigger. Her heels clicked sharply on the wood floor of her apartment as she hurried to let him in. When she opened the door, Booth presented her with a rose.

"Hi Bones," he said softly and she was relieved to see that he was just as nervous as she was. He was tense, almost ready for a fight; unsure of himself; which was weird for him. He was always so confident, he had no reason to be nervous. Any woman would be lucky to have him.

"Hi," she said, smiling taking the rose from him. "Dinner's almost ready." She blushed as his eyes roamed over body. She knew she was attractive, but it was just the way his eyes took her in, it gave her chills. It was like he was trying to undress her with his eyes, and he was doing a damn good job of it. Did he always look at her like that? Never had she taken the time to actually observe the way he looked at her, not until now.

"You look very nice," he said, his lips curving slightly in a smile that made her weak in the knees. He always made her feel special, just by looking at her. No one, not even Scully had done that.

"Thank you." Her cheeks rapidly turned a light shade of pink. They were both acting like school children. Which she thought was totally ridiculous, since they had known each other for a long time now. They had gotten close, had dinner together often at the diner, but in the back of her mind, she knew this was different. This was more. They weren't friends anymore. Both of them were having trouble adjusting to their new relationship, but she was going to make it work.

"Can I help you with dinner?" he asked, going over to the stove. "Smells good."

"It should be done," she said, putting the rose a vase with some sugar water. "I know it's not a gourmet meal, but…" All of a sudden she felt guilty that she couldn't do more for him with dinner, it being their first romantic dinner together. But he wanted to help, he seemed happy with what she had made. She couldn't figure out why she was having such trouble keeping control of her thoughts. She was always so logical and in control, and all that was being shot to hell. Could she really do this?

"It's great Bones," he said, looking at her. "You sit down and I'll bring the soup to the table."

She couldn't just…not help. "How about I grab the sandwiches," she suggested, moving around him to grab her spatula, not waiting for an answer. She lifted the five sandwiches off the pan and onto a plate before following him to her table, with a ladle in hand. With every minute that passed, things got a little easier between them, and she started to relax. Booth seemed to cool, calm, and collected, but he always was. She had no idea what he was thinking.

"You didn't have to make dinner" he said, setting the large pot on the holder in the middle of the table. "But I appreciate it. Been a long time since I had a home cooked meal."

He was so concerned about her feelings, wanting her to be comfortable. "I wanted to," she said, softly as she put the plate down. "I wanted to do something with you." And it made her feel better that she could do this with him, something not many other people had done with him. Other women. She wasn't stupid. She knew Booth had many sexual partners, and who could blame him, he was attractive, very attractive, and any woman would be stupid not to want to be with him. She just couldn't figure out why it took her so long to figure it out for herself.

Booth smiled. "It's very nice, Bones," he said. "I like spending time with you. Now, let's eat."

"Sounds good," she said, sitting in the chair across from him. "I'm glad you came." In truth, she wasn't sure what to expect. She didn't think he'd say no, but she still couldn't help but wonder. It was in her nature, to look at everything from all the angles, to analyze all outcomes of a situation.

"Were you worried?" He asked, serving them both some soup as he eyed her carefully.

Bones nodded. "A little," she said. "I wasn't sure what you were feeling over the past few days." After he decided to give her space, and then followed through with it, she went nuts. She never realized how much she depended on his company. How much she enjoyed seeing him every day, spending time with him, even when he was annoying her, or when she was pushing every one of his buttons. It was part of who she was now. Having all that with him.

"I wanted you to have some time, Bones," he said. "I didn't want to rush you or scare you. I want you to trust me. I know I hurt you, but I wouldn't do that again." He was doing everything he could, to try to convince her that he would never do again, what he did before. And… in the back of her mind, she understood why he did it. Her heart just had some trouble accepting it.

"I know," she said, reaching out to grab his strong hand. "I do trust you, Booth. I just couldn't deal with what happened. You died, almost right in front of me. You took a bullet for me… and I just… couldn't live with myself. You're my best friend, probably more then that." She paused and sighed. "I'm just awful at this kind of thing." Tears were starting to sting the back of her eyes. She did not want to cry. It was supposed to be a good night.

Booth gripped her hand tightly in his own. "I'm here for you Bones," he said, softly. "And I'm not going anywhere." He wasn't like anyone else in her life. She could rely on him. He would always be there for her. Through every case that they solved together, through every heart ache, he would be here. Especially now, with everything that happened with Zach, she needed him. She could never imagine one of her own team being a serial killer. And certainly not Zach. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of things that troubled her. She didn't want to think about that now.

After that, they finished their meal with pleasant, light, conversation. Booth helped her clean the table and do the dishes. As he dried off the last dish and put it away, she leaned against the counter. "Now what?" She asked, eyeing him carefully. The butterflies deep in her stomach started fluttering around again as some graphic thoughts raced through her mind. He could just hoist her up on the counter and have his wicked way with her, and she almost wished he would. But he wasn't that kind. Or was he?

Booth dried his hands off and hung the towel on the stove. "Well," he said, his hands reaching out to grab hers. "I guess that's up to you." He lifted her hands to kiss her knuckles softly.

"Why me?" She asked. "I don't know how to do this Booth." What did he want from her? A bedroom detour? She really needed his guidance on this one. She didn't know what to do, not with him. Most of her dates consisted of dinner, out at a restaurant, then back to one of their places for sex. That's all she knew to do.

He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You've had relationships before." He made her feel very inexperienced, like she wasn't good enough to be with him because she didn't know how.

"Not like this," she murmured, shaking her head as she stared at the floor. "This is new to me Booth. I don't know what you want me to do." She sounded pitiful, not the strong confident woman she knew she was.

He kissed her forehead as he squeezed her hands. "How about you pick a movie and we'll just relax." He probably thought she was so silly. But a movie? That was it?

She raised startled eyes to his. "A movie?" She asked. She thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure. But you pick. I'll change into something more comfortable." This she could do. They could sit together on the couch and watch a movie together. It was perfect. Easy, simple, no expectations. She smiled at him before heading toward her bedroom to change out of her dress.

Her slender arms reached up her back to unzip her dress and she let it fall to the floor as she headed to the dresser. She pulled out some smooth black pants and paused as she took in her simple black underwear. Just in case. She pulled out some red lace panties from the top drawer and swapped them for the black ones. To go with it, was a sexy bra, that barely covered her breasts, but pushed them up nicely. Now she put on the black pants, before pulling out a simple black t shirt. It was going to be an interesting night.

She brushed her hair and sprayed a light perfume before heading back to the living room. Her confidence was returning, and she knew that the night could turn out very good no matter what. "What did you pick?" She asked, joining him on the couch. She slid into his arms with more ease then she thought and relaxed inot the curve of his arms.

"Just watch and find out," he chuckled. "It's not healthy to want to know everything, Bones."

Temperence was about to make a logical comment but decided against it as she stretched her legs out along the couch. Her eyes fluttered shut briefly as Booth's fingers moved through her hair gently. Her senses were on high alert, and he was already sending her for a whirlwind. They hadn't even done anything, but the tenderness he used, she just wasn't used to.

After twenty minutes into the movie, Bones was having a hard time concentrating, she didn't even know who the main character was. Her fingers had started stroking his knee, and he didn't seem to mind. So, slowly, inch by inch, her fingers caressed up his leg, where they now rested on his inner thigh. He twitched under her, trying to get comfortable, his hands stroking over her back. Her head moved to the side so she could trail smooth kisses along his neck as her hands kept up their motions.

"Bones," he practically whimpered.

"Hm?" She asked, licking his ear lobe. She was impressed with herself. She had a very good effect on him. She personally didn't think she was that good, but his growing erection that she could see in his jeans, which had to be getting very uncomfortable, told her that she was going a very very good job. He so wanted her, and by the way he was acting, it this had been a long time coming.

It took him a moment to collect his thoughts. "Not that I'm not enjoying it, but what are you doing?" His hands were firm, but gentle on her back, trying to bring her closer to him, which was almost the opposite of what he was trying to tell her. He was trying to be a gentleman, and as much as she appreciated it, she was on a roll. She was ready.

"Seducing you," she said obviously. "How am I doing?" She already knew the answer to that question. He was taking a page out of her book, he was thinking too much. And she was taking one from his, just feeling. Just heart. With a burst of impulse, she moved to straddle his lap and ran her hands through his hair. "I thought about you all day."

"Is that right?" His hands kneaded her thighs gently.

She paused in her seduction to be serious. "Yeah. I really missed you." It felt almost necessary to get these things off her chest before they went any further. Her heart fluttered when he pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, and she smiled. He was trying to be what she needed. He knew how hard this was for her. He knew when she was having trouble and always tried to make it easier for her. But, very unlike her, she was losing control of her thoughts. "With everything we've been through, with you dying, or sorta dying. And with Zach." She swallowed audibly. "It's hard for me to deal with thises things all at once. It's not natural for me. It freaks me out."

"I never wanted to hurt you," he said. "I know I keep saying that. But I mean it."

"I know," she said, stroking his cheek and giving him a small smile. "I get it and I'm glad you're here now with me. Especially with Zach. I just want so badly to make this work."

"I want that too," he said. "That's all I ever wanted. I just didn't want to push you."

"And I love that about you," she insisted. "You've always been there for me. Even when you didn't agree with my choices, you still stuck by me." He knew everything about her, the best and the worst. He knew about her father, her past, her disappointing relationships. But yet, here was. Giving her everything every woman dreamed of in a man.

"And I always will," Booth said, kissing her nose. "I'm always going to be here, Bones. You should know that by now."

"I believe you," she said, with a nod. "I trust you. And that makes things so much easier." Her knees tightened around him a little, her hands clasping behind his neck. "I wanted to tell you for so long Booth. I just… you drew that stupid line and I always follow the rules. But now… fuck that line." She smirked. "We've long crossed it anyway, don't you think?"

"I hope so," he said, his hands sliding up her back to tangle in her hair. He kissed her passionately, trying to push away all her doubts. Yeah that line was gone now. Blurred into oblivion.


End file.
